The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

by Keri Wyatt Kent

Most people—churched and unchurched—in your community have seen this pulse-racing preview for the long-awaited film adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s beloved classic children’s story, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrob e, one of seven stories in his “The Chronicles of Narnia“ book series. The buzz on this movie has been building since the trailer debuted in spring with the latest “Star Wars“ and “Harry Potter“ films, and life-size wardrobe props started cropping up in theaters and bookstores around the country. From Lewis scholars and Web bloggers to kids who simply love the story, people are talking about this high-budget, live-action film, which its makers say will rival “The Lord of the Rings“ trilogy in its scope and special effects.

Just another fantasy film, another cinematic epic, another children’s fairy tale? Some moviegoers may think so. But while it doesn’t pack the reality punch of 2004’s “The Passion of The Christ,“ embedded in this tale written by one of the 20th century’s greatest and most well-known Christian thinkers are rich symbolism and biblical truths of good and evil, forgiveness and redemption—essentially the Gospel story.

On the surface, the book tells the story of the Pevensie siblings—Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter—who stumble (through a magical wardrobe) into Narnia, a fantasy world of talking beasts, dwarves, fauns, centaurs and other mythical creatures. It is a world ruled by Jadis, the evil White Witch, who has cast a spell on the land, making it “always winter and never Christmas.“ The children find themselves involved in a cause greater than themselves as they eventually join forces with Aslan, a talking lion who’s the “True King of Narnia,“ to fight the witch and her evil forces. Aslan freely dies at the hand of the witch, then comes back to life to save Narnia and its inhabitants.

Yes, Aslan is the Christ figure in the story. But as with any good story, to leave it at that would be oversimplifying things. Through the film, like the book it’s based on, viewers can use story to discover truth about God (“Aslan is not safe, but he’s good,“ the children learn) and human nature. Edmund is seduced by evil into betraying his siblings and Aslan. And when Aslan forgives and restores him, we get a vivid picture of God’s grace.

Because of these story themes, the upcoming movie offers a prime opportunity to dialog with those who don’t know Christ, yet are seeing the extensive promotion and are already planning to hit theaters on Dec. 9 when the film premieres. Churches are talking about the opportunity to walk through the “Wardrobe“ to connect with their communities—pastors say they’re looking for some intelligent ways to join in the conversation that will already be going on.

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